Detroit Lions Reporter Tom Kowalski Dies At 51

The 51-year-old Kowalski covered the Lions for Booth Newspapers and MLive.com. He was found unresponsive at his home and was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Kowalski started for Booth Newspapers in 1997 after covering the Lions for the Oakland Press. His last story for MLive.com was posted online Monday morning.

“My heart broke this morning when I heard the news. I love Tom Kowalski,” said Bill Emkow, executive editor at MLive.com. “He was my friend. I trusted him, and I know he trusted me. He is the first reporter that bought into what we were doing with MLive.com. I needed someone to buy into what we were doing online, and he was the huge star for Booth. I don’t know why he listened to me, but he helped make MLive what you know it as today.”